The Anam, a 117-villa and 96-room resort that commands a stunning beachfront setting, a sublime 10 treatment-room spa and a 3-D movie theatre, celebrates its grand opening on April 26 in Vietnam’s most compelling new destination.

With a design that pays homage to both colonial-era and age-old Vietnamese aesthetics, the independently owned and operated Anam is blazing new ground in a destination now emerging as a high-end alternative to nearby Nha Trang.

The alluring new five-star resort is set to cut the ribbon on a host of world-class facilities, including a spa, three restaurants and two bars, 3-D movie theatre, a ballroom, conference facilities, water sports centre, yoga room and deck, tennis court, kids club and three swimming pools.

Some 3,000 palm trees shade The Anam, a 117-villa and 96-room resort on 12 hectares.

Some 3,000 palm trees shade the 12-hectare property that fronts 300 metres of private beach overlooking the East Sea, where toast-brown sand, turquoise waters, dramatic headlands and offshore islands come together as one of Vietnam’s most picture-perfect seaside enclaves.

“There isn’t a more desirable place to be on the water in Vietnam,” said founder and chairman Pham Van Hien. “When I first discovered the land five years ago, I was struck by its breathtaking beauty and serenity, beginning an ambitious dream that has come to fruition in The Anam.”

“Our surf is gentler, our skies sunnier and the landscape absolutely amazing,” added Herbert Laubichler-Pichler, the Austrian general manager whose work in Vietnam goes back 10 years and includes management of two of Vietnam’s most acclaimed hotels. “That, and a property that stands on the shoulders of everything we’ve learned about how to design, orient and build a hotel in Vietnam, is going to make for an incredible new anchor in the country’s hottest new destination.”

GUEST VILLAS, ROOMS AND SUITES

Twenty-seven villas have their own private swimming pools with sunbeds.

Ranging in size from 50 square meters to a palatial 267 square meters, The Anam’s accommodations are strategically dispersed across the 12-hectare property. Terraces or balconies jut from every villa.

Most of the villas border two long tongues of lawn that reach down to the beach. Twenty-seven villas have separate living rooms and their own private swimming pools with sunbeds.

Inland from the villas, the resort’s hotel building called The Anam Deluxe Collection looms off elevated ground, offering up sweeping views of the sea from many of the building’s 96 rooms and suites.

Throughout the resort, old world elegance meets Asian aesthetics and prerogatives in a captivating fusion of East and West. Forests cultivated for sustainable harvests supplied the hardwood. Local artisans designed floor tiles that reference colonial French floors. Vietnamese artwork hung from the walls and perched on plinths open doors on the country’s culture.

Internet TV with an array of programs and high-speed WiFi are among the modern touches in the accommodations and across the entire resort respectively.

The resort’s published room rates start at USD 200 for the Balcony Garden View Room and rise to USD 800 for the singular Anam Ocean View Pool Villa (3 Bedrooms). Complete with a kitchen, large living room, and private pool, these expansive villas are ideal for families, groups of multi-generations, and parties of friends.

DINING

Three distinct restaurants and two bars lure diners from venues casual enough for finger food and refined enough for a baby grand piano.

At the resort’s all-day dining restaurant, The Indochine, a multitude of levels and partitioned spaces seating a total of 140 guests, suggest a collection of intimate venues more than an expansive restaurant. Its terraces overlook one of the resort’s three swimming pools and its extensive menu offers delectable contemporary Vietnamese, Asian and Western dishes.

The Indochine Grill, designed for 50 diners, specialises in European fine dining with a strong focus on classical French fare, complemented by a world-class wine selection. Evenings, a pianist and accompanying singer perform traditional pop and jazz tunes.

The Beach Club perches upon some of The Anam’s most inspiring ground and accommodates 80 guests. One outdoor terrace sits just above The Anam’s golden strand and an adjacent pavilion borders a 300 square metre swimming pool, replete with sunbeds in the shallows. The chefs serve up a mix of Vietnamese, Asian and Western dishes including salads, sandwiches, finger foods and pizza, complemented by a variety of cocktails.

Opposite The Indochine, Saigon Bar features an outdoor terrace and a stylish interior hung with striking black and white photography by renowned Vietnamese photographer Mai Loc. In addition to its a la carte menu, the bar, which seats 30 people, offers afternoon tea, happy hour cocktails, and wine and champagne by the glass to a backdrop of live music.

Next to the Water Sports Centre by the sea, the Sports Bar bookends the resort’s waterfront with yet another venue catering to 60 guests, offering up ice-cold beer and finger foods.

SPA & WELLNESS

In a captivating fusion of East and West, all of the accommodations feature hardwood from sustainable forests, customised mosaic floor tiles and Vietnamese artwork.

Before Vietnam’s expansion southward in the 15th Century, Cam Ranh was part of the Kingdom of Champa, and the first king of those vanquished people was Sri Mara. To pay tribute to the area’s history, The Sri Mara Spa is named after the first Cham leader.

The Sri Mara Spa comprises 10 treatment rooms, including four VIP rooms designed for couples, each equipped with two massage beds, a steam room, sauna and outdoor granite Jacuzzi, as well as four couples rooms and two single rooms.

Set on 400 square metres of picturesque hillside right next to the Sri Mara Spa, two Private Pool Villas feature exclusive spa therapy areas with a steam room and sunken granite Jacuzzi, enabling indulgence in a spa journey without leaving the comfort of the villa.

The ‘Tropical Detox and Slimming’ journey is one of the spa’s four signature packages, comprising a body massage that enhances blood circulation, salt glow exfoliation, a fresh coffee and orange extract body wrap, and steam and sauna treatments to drain toxins.

Meanwhile, the water sports house, yoga room and deck, gym with state-of-the-art Precor technology, tennis court, and three swimming pools render The Anam a fitness hub.

Complimentary daily activities include beach volleyball, badminton, sepak takraw (a sport known as ‘kick volleyball’ native to Southeast Asia) and sunrise yoga. Other recreational pursuits offered by the water sports centre range from kayaking and bravo sailing, to surfing, bodyboarding and snorkeling. The Anam can also organise personal training, tennis and even a fishing excursion in an iconic Vietnamese coracle boat.

In addition to complimentary activities for children, including futsal and water gymnastics in the pool, The Anam runs a kids club with various indoor activities and games.

The Colonial Room hosts up to 170 people theatre-style or 80 for a banquet and is decked out with the latest sound technology and projection equipment. Situated in the Deluxe Collection building, the ballroom, called the Au Lac Room, caters to up to 250 people theatre-style and 120 for a banquet. Both venues are ideal for gala and wedding dinners and other significant events. The 3-D cinema called The Theatre, seating up to 60 viewers, can also be used for presentations. Three additional meeting rooms are available.

The Anam is easily accessible from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi thanks to numerous arrivals and departure flights daily. The international airport also caters to direct flights from such locations as Hong Kong, South Korea, China and Russia.